6 * EggIndustry
l REMBRANDT FOODS MOVING UP THE EGG PRODUCTS VALUE CHAIN l
the low-cost competitors for egg, but
they lack many of the nutritional and
functional properties of egg.
Functional properties of eggs
From a nutritional standpoint, egg
products are unique. The egg can
provide all of the nutrients needed to
feed the embryo. But eggs have more
than just nutritional value for food
manufacturers; the functional properties of eggs
- yolks for making emulsions and whites for
aeration and gelling - are important as well.
Egg yolk is 30-40 percent protein and it is
rich in choline. Choline is bound to a phospholipid, and phospholipids are easily absorbed and
utilized. Some of the nutrients found in high
The test kitchen at Rembrandt Foods' Spirit Lake, Iowa,
headquarters allows food scientists to fully test the functionality of egg products coming from the pilot plant.
quantities in eggs, like choline, could become
valuable ingredients in high-nutrition foods and
supplements, according to Spurway.
"What protein can we pull from our egg and
put in a sports nutrition or infant nutrition product?" he asked. "This is a market we haven't
been in yet." One example he cited is an extruded
egg yolk protein product that could be included
in protein bars as a "crisp."
Spurway said: "We need to focus not just on
what the customer [food processor] wants but
also on what the consumer wants. We aren't just
about the egg; we can bring other ingredients to
our customers." In the past, Spurway said Rembrandt Foods just sold eggs, now they are moving to selling functional properties and nutrition.
With the easing of dietary recommendations
regarding egg consumption and cholesterol,
perhaps the value of yolks will rebound relative
to egg whites. Rembrandt is looking for solutions that will put more eggs and better nutrition
into our diets in what may be new and surprising ways. This is all part of the process of what
Spurway described as the planned transformation
of Rembrandt into "the leading value-added egg
ingredients company globally." EI
September 2015 * www.WATTAgNet.com

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